Diablos Rojos group changes name, hires culinary director

The Diablos Rojos Restaurant Group, which owns Trocadero, Cafe Hollander in Milwaukee and Wauwatosa, and Cafe Centraal, has changed its name to the Lowlands Group.

That's a reference to the Netherlands and Belgium, which have influenced the restaurants' format, according to a statement from the group today. Co-owner Mike Eitel said in the statement that the name better reflects the restaurants.

There are no changes in ownership of the group, which plans to open Cafe Benelux in April at 346 N. Broadway in the Third Ward. The building formerly housed Good Harvest Market.

The group, however, has hired a chef from Houston as its culinary director.

David Spirito, who has a background both in fine dining and casual dining, is developing a menu for Cafe Benelux, and already has fine-tuned the Trocadero menu. That menu debuted in late November.

Spirito most recently was the corporate chef for Sherlock's Baker St. Pub & Grill, a chain of restaurants primarily in Colorado and Texas.